Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between prep cooks and chefs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a prep cook, becoming a chef takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a chef has an average salary of $46,824, which is higher than the $32,292 average annual salary of a prep cook.
The top three skills for a prep cook include food handling, culinary and sanitation standards. The most important skills for a chef are customer service, food handling, and culinary.
| Prep Cook | Chef | |
| Yearly salary | $32,292 | $46,824 |
| Hourly rate | $15.53 | $22.51 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 15% |
| Number of jobs | 168,265 | 65,737 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 48% | Associate Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 38 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
Prep cooks are responsible for preparing ingredients. They are usually part of an assembly line-like structure in the kitchen. They are often the first station in this assembly line. Prep cooks are in charge of thawing, skinning, cutting, mincing, slicing, and chopping ingredients so that the line cooks can just get these ingredients for their own stations. Prep cooks may also start doing some of the initial activities in the cooking process, such as preparing water for boiling, laying out ingredients, and ensuring that the stoves are clear.
A chef is the master of the kitchen--someone who is creative and innovative with food. Chefs are the pride and reputation of each restaurant or dining establishments. They make sure every meal served is fresh and oversees the kitchen operation. They also create recipes, study menus, and prepare significant-high-quality dishes that represent the restaurant. They say academic requirements aren't needed, but anyone who has a passion for food and cooking can be a chef.
Prep cooks and chefs have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Prep Cook | Chef | |
| Average salary | $32,292 | $46,824 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $40,000 | Between $31,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Urban Honolulu, HI |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Kemps | Bridgewater Associates |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a prep cook and a chef in terms of educational background:
| Prep Cook | Chef | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 48% | Associate Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | - | Drexel University |
Here are the differences between prep cooks' and chefs' demographics:
| Prep Cook | Chef | |
| Average age | 38 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.3% Female, 38.7% | Male, 74.8% Female, 25.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 8.6% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 11.4% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 9% |